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The Lost Prince

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For other uses, see Lost Prince (disambiguation).

The Lost Prince
The Lost Prince DVD Cover
Created byStephen Poliakoff
Written byStephen Poliakoff
StarringMatthew James Thomas
Miranda Richardson
Tom Hollander
Bill Nighy
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes2
Production
ProducersJoanna Beresford
John Chapman
Rebecca Eaton
Peter Fincham
David M. Thompson
EditorClare Douglas
Production companiesBBC
TalkBack Productions
WGBH
Original release
NetworkBBC One
Release19 January (2003-01-19) –
26 January 2003 (2003-01-26)

The Lost Prince is a British television drama about the life of Prince John – youngest child of Britain's King George V and Queen Mary – who died at the age of 13 in 1919.[1] John had epileptic seizures and an autism-like developmental disorder, and the Royal Family tried to shelter him from public view; the script did not present the Royal Family as unsympathetic, instead showing how much this cost them emotionally (particularly John's mother, Queen Mary). Poliakoff explores the story of John, his relationship with his family and brother Prince George, the political events going on at the time (such as the fall of the House of Romanov in 1917) and the love and devotion of his nanny, Charlotte Bill (Lalla).

A Talkback Thames production written and directed by Stephen Poliakoff, it was originally broadcast in January 2003. It won three Emmy Awards in 2005.[2][3][4]

Plot summary

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Episode One

In December 1908, young Prince John watches his family attend a birthday party for his grandmother Queen Alexandra, at Sandringham in Norfolk.

Next summer, Tsar Nicholas II, Tsarina Alexandra and their children visit their relations, the British royals, on the Isle of Wight. The Russians entrance Prince John with their exoticism. It is clear that Johnnie, a charming boy, has an eccentric view of the world and is uninhibited in a way that is alien to his parents. His grandfather, King Edward VII, loves him for his frankness. His nanny, Lalla, is reluctant to reveal the seriousness of his medical condition.

While people gaze into the skies to catch a glimpse of an approaching comet, Johnnie's parents go to Buckingham Palace to be at the King's deathbed.

During the funeral Johnnie has an epileptic seizure. Queen Mary, Johnnie's mother, summons doctors to examine him; their diagnosis confirms the worst fears. Lalla volunteers to look after Johnnie, to prevent him being sent to an institution. They go to Sandringham, where Johnnie can be prevented from encountering anybody but the closest members of his family.

His brother, Prince George swears to protect him. Johnnie, now a few years older, is deprived of the company of other children and finds his lessons unfathomable, though he always takes an optimistic view of life. Then one day he embarrasses his parents by speaking his mind at a tea party held for Prime Minister H. H. Asquith and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Lloyd George.

Johnnie is brought to London to be re-examined. During his stay he is taken by George up to the gallery looking down on the banqueting hall of Buckingham Palace, at a grand state occasion. The dignitaries are chattering about the poise with which the Queen has dealt with the intrusion of a suffragette, who confronted the Queen to demand support for women's suffrage. During the banquet Asquith and Lloyd George are called back to Downing Street to receive the news that is to prove to be the catalyst for the start of World War I.

The following morning Johnnie has a rare meeting with his father King George V, who shows him his treasured stamp collection. Johnnie is more interested in his father's pet parrot, Charlotte. They are interrupted by the King's Private Secretary, Lord Stamfordham, who relays news of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Realising this has been withheld from him, the King is furious. Unnoticed by the adults, Johnnie pursues Charlotte, as the terrified bird flies away into the building. The Queen, Lalla and George go searching for Johnnie and his mother is shocked when she sees one of Johnnie's fits for the first time. As officials gather for diplomatic meetings, Johnnie is taken back to the isolation of Sandringham.

Episode Two

Prince George witnesses the brinkmanship between the Allies and the Central Powers, led by Germany. Surprisingly, the vacillating Tsar Nicholas of Russia mobilises his troops and plunges Europe into war. Against his wishes, Prince George is sent to the Naval College where his rebellious nature leads him to question propaganda about the cruelty of the German armed forces.

Such propaganda, combined with the disastrous conflict on the battlefields of Flanders and France, turns the public's attention to the German ancestry of the British royal family. The trauma of war is even felt by Johnnie, Lalla and their household, who are forced to live in increased isolation in Wood Farm, on the fringes of the Sandringham estate. Prince George, determined to maintain contact with Lalla and his brother, arrives to relay the news that the family is to change its name to Windsor, and also that the Tsar of Russia has abdicated and is to be exiled to Britain by the Bolshevik revolutionaries.

George V is alarmed at the reaction of his subjects to this and gets Stamfordham to press Lloyd George, who is now Prime Minister, to rescind the invitation to the Tsar. Johnnie dreams innocently of his Russian cousins coming to live with him. King George and Queen Mary are traumatised by what follows – the execution of the Romanovs. Weighed down, they find consolation when Johnnie dies, in his unbounded optimism and unalloyed love of life.

Cast

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Reception

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The drama achieved a high viewing figure and much praise, was released on VHS and DVD, and was repeated on BBC One in January 2004.[5]

Accolades

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Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
2003
 Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards Costume Design – Drama Odile Dicks-Mireaux Won [6]
Team Award Craft & Design Team Nominated
2004
 British Academy Television Awards Best Actress Gina McKee Nominated [7]
Miranda Richardson Nominated
British Academy Television Craft Awards Best Editing – Fiction/Entertainment Clare Douglas Nominated [8]
Best Make Up and Hair Design Liz Tagg Nominated
Best Original Television Music Adrian Johnston Nominated
Best Photography and Lighting – Fiction Barry Ackroyd Nominated
Best Production Design John-Paul Kelly Won
Broadcasting Press Guild Awards Best Single Drama Won [9]
Directors Guild of Great Britain Awards Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Television Movie/Serial Stephen Poliakoff Nominated
Online Film & Television Association Awards Best Miniseries Nominated [10]
Best Actress in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Miranda Richardson Nominated
Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Bill Nighy Nominated
Best Direction of a Motion Picture or Miniseries Stephen Poliakoff Nominated
Best Writing of a Motion Picture or Miniseries Nominated
Best Ensemble in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Nominated
Best Costume Design in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Nominated
Royal Television Society Awards Drama Serial Nominated [11]
2005
 Golden Globe Awards Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film Miranda Richardson Nominated [12]
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Miniseries Peter Fincham, David M. Thompson,
Rebecca Eaton, Joanna Beresford,
and John Chapman 		Won [13]
Outstanding Art Direction for a Miniseries or Movie John Paul Kelly, Emma MacDevitt,
and Sara Wan 		Won[a]
Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special Odile Dicks-Mireaux and Colin May
(for "Part 1") 		Won
Satellite Awards Best Miniseries Won [14]
Best Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Miranda Richardson Nominated
Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Bill Nighy Won
Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Gina McKee Nominated
Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a TV Movie, Miniseries or Special – Supporting Young Actor Brock Everitt-Elwick Nominated [15]
Daniel Williams Nominated

Notes

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  1. ^ Tied with Sarah Knowles, Scott Ritenour, Thomas Minton, and Frank Galline for Warm Springs.

References

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  1. ^ The Lost Prince at IMDb
  2. ^ "The Lost Prince (Masterpiece Theatre)". Television Academy. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  3. ^ "The Lost Prince". BBC.
  4. ^ Lawson, Mark (16 January 2003). "Mark Lawson: Stephen Poliakoff's The Lost Prince". The Guardian.
  5. ^ "Lost Prince loses ratings fight". BBC News. 20 January 2003.
  6. ^ "RTS Craft and Design Winners 2003". Royal Television Society. 24 January 2011. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  7. ^ "BAFTA Awards: Television in 2004". BAFTA. 2004. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  8. ^ "BAFTA Awards: Television Craft in 2004". BAFTA. 2004. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  9. ^ "BPG Awards 2004". Broadcasting Press Guild. 30 October 2022.
  10. ^ "8th Annual TV Awards (2004)". Online Film & Television Association. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  11. ^ "RTS Programme Winners 2004". Royal Television Society. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  12. ^ "The Lost Prince – Golden Globes". HFPA. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  13. ^ "The Lost Prince (Masterpiece Theatre)". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  14. ^ "Nominees & Winners – Satellite™ Awards 2005 (10th Annual Satellite™ Awards)". International Press Academy. Satellite Awards. Archived from the original on 2 February 2008. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  15. ^ "26th Annual Young Artist Awards". YoungArtistAwards.org. Archived from the original on 4 March 2008. Retrieved 31 March 2011.

Further reading

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